Mandalore finished his debrief and closed the hololine with the Supreme Chancellor. A few plans had been devised, but nothing could be determined until everyone knew what was going to happen with the Sith and who they were going to target. The Republic decided to not engage the Sith during their coup against Relsor, instead, trusting that their enemy would end up crippled. Emain had expressed hope that they could take advantage after the fact.
Talyc looked at Usharr who was still looking through files and files of data. ‘Are those records of some kind?’ he asked the old Sith master.
‘Sith database files,’ replied Usharr. ‘The Dark Council has privileged access to everything recorded by the Empire: from failed acolytes to the latest Hutt scheme that made its way into Sith space.’
‘But you’re not of the Dark Council,’ said Talyc.
‘Not anymore, because of my exile, but that doesn’t mean my access to these files was ever revoked. I still have friends in the Empire.’ Usharr looked up and winked.
‘Clever,’ said Talyc. He was startled when Nriwe came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders from behind him.
‘So I’ve got an old contact on Nar Shaddaa looking for refuge,’ she began.
‘Refuge?’ asked Talyc.
‘She’s a good fighter, from back in my slaver days.’ Nriwe took a singsong voice and batted her eyelashes. ‘She needs to get away soon and would be a great asset to Clan Kandera.’
‘What did she do to need to get away from the Hutts?’ Talyc looked at the Mandalorians leaving the room. Many clans remained, but the room looked much less clustered now.
‘Refused to dance! Believe me, she’s loyal and we can trust her. She needs transport though.’
‘All right, well let me run a quick background check on her. What’s her name?’
‘Alegna. Togruta, Kaki coloured lekku.’
Talyc nodded and began looking through his datapad for a Togruta named Alegna via the Holonet.
He heard someone’s com chime. Brenum yelped. The small holoimage of Trylia came into view as Brenum took the holocall on his comlink.
‘Trylia, my sweet!’
‘Brenum, I’m all right.’
‘Where are you?’
‘In a shuttle, on my way…to you. I’ll explain when I get there, it’s a long story.’
‘Oh, Trylia,’ said Brenum.
Talyc saw a tear run down Brenum’s face, as the others exclaimed sentiments of joy into the transceiver so Trylia could hear them all. Talyc felt relieved, he could only imagine how Brenum felt.
‘So tell me where you are so I can enter the coordinates.’
‘Mandalore,’ said Brenum.
‘Hang on!’ said Talyc, approaching. He looked at Nriwe and smiled. ‘Can you make a quick stop by Nar Shaddaa?’
‘Why, hello, Talyc,’ said Trylia. ‘It’s good to hear everyone’s voices.’
‘We’re recruiting a Togruta,’ Talyc explained. ‘Former dancer, greenish lekku. Her name is Alegna.’
‘I’ll be happy to. Tell her to meet me at the Promenade, near the market stands.’
‘Thank you!’ exclaimed Nriwe.
Brenum chatted a while longer with Trylia before ending the call. The blue-haired Jedi sat back down sounding and looking very relieved.
‘I told you,’ said Shadie.
Talyc noticed Wapita walking past. He took his arm and stopped him.
‘We’re not done discussing, Wapita,’ Talyc told him.
‘There is nothing more to discuss,’ said Wapita.
‘So you’re going to keep denying sending your recruit to spy on us just because you want to keep tabs on the Jedi and our Sith compatriot?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Wapita, shrugging and shaking his head. ‘Mistrust you? Mistrust Clan Kandera? Maybe. But even Dargoza wouldn’t stoop so low as to spy on other Mandalorians. We spy, we win what?’
Talyc shook his head. ‘Where is he anyway?’ He looked around. Vax had been there earlier, had spoken to them, and now he was nowhere to be found. ‘It’s convenient that your recruit disappears the minute I’m confronting you about him. What are you plotting?’
‘I’m not the one who’s been to bed with him,’ said Wapita.
‘Oy!’ Fane approached. ‘Don’t talk to him like that.’
‘What? It’s true.’ Wapita crossed his arms. ‘Maybe the old lover has a problem with your new lover, Talyc. But I know nothing about it.’
‘So you never sent him to spy on us? To keep tabs on us?’
‘Mandalore’s honour,’ said Wapita. ‘I know nothing of it.’
‘I found it!’ exclaimed Usharr. Talyc turned around, as the attention of all who were present – the Jedi and several dozen Mandalorians – turned to the old Sith. This one looked at Talyc and Wapita. ‘Everyone is going to want to see this.’
* * *
Alegna on Ziost (from Secrets from the Past, Story 8, Star Wars Fan-Fiction by Celinka Serre)
Trylia took the taxi from the spaceport to the Promenade. It had been a while since she’d been back on Nar Shaddaa, not since Shadie, Brenum and she had been captured by Darth Lahnius. The place felt very much the same, bustling with life of all sorts of species.
Trylia walked to the market area, and sitting at one of the tables was the Togruta described to her, arguing with a burly Houk. Trylia walked to the table, ignoring the Houk.
‘You Alegna?’ she asked.
‘Thank you!’ was the very relieved reply.
Alegna stood. The zigzagging lines on her lekku formed a nice curve at the ends. They were quite different from Trylia’s own.
‘I’m happy to help another of my kind,’ she said. ‘I like the design on your lekku, it fits with your hue.’
‘Hey!’ The Houk took hold of Trylia’s arm. ‘I can drag two of you back to the club.’ He sized Trylia up. ‘You gonna dance too?’ he said in a hulking voice.
‘Oh, I can dance,’ said Trylia, pointing at her lightsaber.
The Houk let go of her. ‘Fine.’ He backed away. ‘If ever I see you here again, Alegna, you dead.’
‘Don’t worry! I’m not coming back!’ Alegna started walking off. Trylia followed. ‘So you docked at the spaceport?’
‘As per,’ said Trylia.
Alegna looked at her. ‘Thanks for handling Deeker, back there. He’s all muscle and no brain. And he’s scared of anyone with a lightsaber.’
‘Then it’s a good thing I could come to the rescue.’
Alegna gave her a sideways glance. ‘Well, I’m good in a fight, provided I have the proper gear and weapons.’
They made idle chitchat as they made their way to the shuttle. Something seemed off somehow.
‘What is it?’ asked Alegna.
‘Something’s not right,’ said Trylia. ‘I’m not sure what it is, but–’ She gasped. She suddenly felt empty, naked, devoid of the Force. ‘Ysalamiri.’
Suddenly a blaster bolt hit Alegna square in the chest and the next thing Trylia knew, she was feeling a cold sensation of lasers before darkness took her.
* * *
Trylia opened her eyes and realised she was on her side, tied to Alegna in some manner, and she still felt the emptiness of ysalamiri.
‘Alegna? You awake?’
The other Togruta groaned. ‘Damn, that hurts. What did I get shot with?’
‘A stun bolt,’ said Trylia. ‘Can you see my lightsaber anywhere in this room?’
‘Not from my angle,’ replied Alegna. ‘This is just my luck. I escape one kind of prison to enter another.’
‘We’ll get out of this,’ said Trylia. ‘First of all, I’m a Jedi, and second Clan Kandera always pulls through.’
‘Then I chose to contact the right friend,’ said Alegna.
The door to the room lifted open as a tall Rattataki male entered. He had face tattoos coming down the sides of his neck, and a very pale greyish hue to his face. He wore a familiar style of armour. ‘Your Jedi skills are of no use,’ he said. ‘Not now anyway.’ He inclined his hairless head. ‘I have ensured enough ysalamiri to keep you from using your powers. The ship is covered in them.’
Trylia lifted her head off the floor a bit. ‘You’re dressed like a Mandalorian.’
‘Oh, this?’ He shook his head. ‘Just part of a job I was assigned to for a while until you came along and the perfect opportunity arose.’ He sneered.
‘What do you want?’ Trylia demanded.
‘Me? Nothing from you.’ The Rattataki came and propped both Trylia and Alegna into an upright sitting position. ‘But my leaders need you, for now.’
‘Who are you?’ asked Trylia.
The man took a seat and looked down at Trylia. ‘Call me Cypher Five; Imperial Intelligence.’
‘What? Cypher?’ exclaimed Alegna. ‘This is just great.’
‘You have your clan leader to thank for my being here, sort of.’
‘Talyc? He would never betray us!’ said Trylia.
‘No, he wouldn’t. Nor would he mistrust an old lover.’ The Rattataki grinned.
‘Typical Imp, that,’ said Alegna. ‘Befriend us, bed us, betray us.’
‘Sounds like you’ve had your share of mishaps,’ said Trylia.
‘More than I’d like to admit,’ said Alegna.
The Rattataki laughed. ‘Oh, you look so pathetic without the Force, so lost.’ He stood and leaned closer. ‘It’s okay, your friend will be here soon to save you, he won’t let you down. He’s the one we’re after.’
‘Brenum?’
The Rattataki shook his head. ‘Oh, no. The Chiss.’
‘Relsor?’ Trylia was confused and she could not probe the Force to find out more or sense if he was lying.
‘You are the bait,’ he said. ‘Relsor will come to save you and the Empire will strike at him. I’ve already reversed the hyperspace jumps you entered to get here and sent the data to Imperial Intelligence. It has no doubt already been relayed to the Dark Council. Ships will attack his forces, the Sith on his ships will attack his so-called True Sith, and he will have to leave to come save you.’
‘Leave?’ said Trylia. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Ziost!’
Trylia’s heart sank as fear set in. Ziost was home to the uttermost dark side, but it was also the place where Relsor had been conceived through Sith alchemy as she had recently learnt. She gulped and clenched her teeth as the Rattataki left the room.
Alegna was fidgeting, trying to loosen the knots that tied them together. ‘So Ziost, then?’
‘That place is a horrible place.’
‘You’ve been?’
‘No, but I know what has been created there, and what there…is used to destroy. This is not good, not good at all.’
“Secrets from the Past” is written by Celinka Serre (2022).
Disclaimer: The Characters in this Fan-Fiction are new and have original names. The story is an original written work. The story is derivative and consistent of Fan-Fiction since it borrows the franchise world of Star Wars. Certain jargon and places, or concepts mentioned, along with the SW Old Republic universe belong to Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney. No characters or story lines from the films are used. No story lines or characters from the games or books are used. A handful of characters from the games may be referenced, but are not the main focus in this fanfic story. This fan-fiction story falls under Fair Use.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
You might also enjoy other SWTOR fanfics, Dragon Age Fan-Fiction short stories, Mass Effect Fan-Fiction, or Stardust Destinies the High Fantasy Fiction series.
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